1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a system for providing information to customers of service providers, and more particularly to a dental chair display and control system that provides multiple forms of communication, including Internet access, real time video imaging, and digital photography.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of services are provided in which a consumer must remain stationary for a substantial period of time. Examples of such services include dentistry, hair styling, manicuring, and the like. A common aspect of these services is that the consumer or patient is generally awake and alert while the service is being provided.
While an individual is receiving a service under these conditions, they are frequently unable to engage in activities to distract themselves. For example, listening to entertainment via headphones will interfere with the hair stylist's ability to cut and style hair. In addition, experience has shown that removable headphones are uncomfortable, confining, heavy, hot, tend to disturb the hair, and must be offered and accepted. Reading presents additional difficulties because it typically interferes with the service provider's ability to render effective and safe care, such as in the case of dentistry. A dentist must have unobstructed access to the patient's mouth, which would clearly be impaired by a patient attempting to bring a book or other reading material in front of their face in order to read.
Devices have been proposed for providing distraction and entertainment to dental patients in particular. U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,376 discloses a dental apparatus that provides an illumination source in combination with an audio-visual display to reduce or mask the effects of pain stimulus on a dental patient. The apparatus includes a television for displaying images generated from a video recording camera or prerecorded images from a cassette. While this apparatus might have been suitable for its purpose at the time it was developed in 1981, it does not have the capability of providing Internet access, digital photography, or access to patient records.